Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri expressed his optimism at the national consensus to resolve the crisis that emerged early November when Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation, reiterating that the parliamentary elections would be held on time. He also underlined the importance that Lebanese expatriates participate in the elections, stressing that those represented an integral part of the homeland. Berri’s Liberation and Development Bloc MP Anwar Khalil quoted the speaker as saying that an agreement was reached between President Michel Aoun, Hariri and himself on the need to maintain stability and security in the country ahead of the elections. He also said that Berri was optimistic about the coming phase and the return of the political life to normal. Future Bloc MPs Khalid Zahraman and Mohammed al-Hajjar expressed the same optimism. “The atmosphere is positive and [the crisis] is going to be resolved,” Zahraman said in a radio interview. “The ball is now in the court of the group, which contributes to undermining the security of some countries [Hezbollah], and the extent to which this group is ready to make compromises for the sake of internal stability.” “Dissociating Lebanon from the crises around us must be everyone’s strategy”, he added. Hajjar, for his part, spoke about the statement issued by the Presidential Palace following the consultations held by Aoun, noting that basic points of agreement would be presented to the constitutional institutions after the completion of consultations upon the return of Aoun from Italy.